My parents happened to be passing through town on their way home from a beach trip, and my dad is a big bourbon fan (hello we’re from Kentucky) so we thought it would be a fun adventure.

Our friend Steven, who’s in medical school with Derek, joined us as well as a couple of my parents’ friends.

The festival was held at Koka Booth Amphitheatre, which was a beautiful venue. We were all thankful for the shade from the trees considering it’s constantly 90+ degrees here in North Carolina during July and August.

When we got there we received our tasting flutes. I was surprised that these were actually nice glasses with the logo on them. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but their motto “Drink. Eat. Relax.” is on the back side.

The tickets covered tastings for the 60 beers and 40 bourbon available. There were booths all over the place.

By the way, as much as I want to like bourbon, I’m just not a fan. Fortunately many of the bourbon booths had delicious spiked teas. Woodford Reserve had a particularly delicious peach bourbon tea that I’d love to recreate at home.

It’s a bit of a bummer that food wasn’t included with the tickets, but we definitely weren’t disappointed with the barbecue we got. So good!

I seriously get hungry just looking at that picture. If we move out of North Carolina next year, the barbecue around here will be sorely missed.

It was a fun day for us all, and I would certainly recommend it for other people in the area. After all, what’s better than sharing a few drinks and good food with family and friends?

P.S. Don’t worry, we took an Uber to and from the festival after all those adult beverages. 🙂

As I mentioned back in my Tell Me Something Good post earlier this month, Derek is officially in his 4th year of medical school. (Look for a post in the near future about what it’s like to be married to a med student.)

Gotta love the scrubs.

We’ve been talking about Derek’s residency for years, but we’re at the point where it’s no longer an abstraction. Lately it’s started to sink in that we’ll probably be living in a different city in a mere 10 months. Derek will, of course, be applying to UNC and Duke, and we’re not ruling those programs out at all. However, we both feel that it is a great time for us to try something different if he finds a program he loves outside of North Carolina. We’re both adventurous and relatively unattached (no kids, no house), and fortunately I can find medical social work jobs wherever we go.

That being said, I absolutely love the Durham/Chapel Hill area. It will always be home to me, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we end up back here someday. Because it’s likely that we won’t live here for at least 4 years, I decided that I want to do a sort of “farewell tour” of Durham and Chapel Hill with BNP. I’m starting a new series of posts about my favorite places to eat and play in the area, and I even added a new page to the blog menu called, “Durham & Chapel Hill.” I’ll compile all of my posts on the page. It’s mostly just fun for me, but it could be helpful if you ever visit the area or want to try something new.

I thought that I’d kick things off with this post by sharing my favorite coffee shop/study spot: Bean Traders!

You’ve seen their coffee on my blog many times already. Bean Traders always has a booth open at the farmers’ market. It’s my treat while I shop around.

Iced coffee, how I love thee.

I usually see this guy parked out front.

I know Bean Traders is at the farmers’ market when I see their trademark van.

Bean Traders is only about a mile from my house in south Durham. It’s inconspicuously located in the middle of a strip mall. (My gym is actually in the same one.)

Well hello there you hidden gem.

When you walk in you’re greeted by bright colors, lots of natural light, and friendly baristas.

You can’t tell from this picture, but there’s a drink called a “dirty hippie.” It’s some kind of mix of coffee and tea.

One of the many cool things about Bean Traders is that they partner with many local business for their dairy products, bakery items, nut butters, candies, and desserts.

Candy galore!

They also sell their own coffee beans.

Love that “Drink the Love” sign.

I mean there’s a reason it’s called Bean Traders.

The coffee is strong and delicious.

It smells amazing.

I went here a lot during grad school for group projects or to study solo. There’s lots of space and free Wi-fi. The mismatched chairs in all different colors give it a cool, eclectic vibe.

Bonus points for coffee served in mason jars.

I got this almond-milk latte last weekend. Nom!

It is the best place to spend a quiet morning enjoying delicious coffee and reading a good book.

The North Carolina General Assembly convenes tomorrow, which makes it the perfect time for my next social justice issue post: Medicaid Expansion in North Carolina. Medicaid expansion is something I feel strongly about, and I wrote a policy brief on it during graduate school. I pulled much of my information from my paper and presentation from last spring.

I wanted to focus on this issue right now in particular because NC can still choose to expand Medicaid, and I urge people to learn more about the issue. Whether you agree or disagree with me, it is an issue that affects all people in this state, and it’s worth being informed.

Medicaid Expansion in NC

Definitions

Affordable Care Act (ACA): The ACA, also known as “Obamacare” is a federal statute that includes mandates, subsidies, and insurance exchanges meant to increase health insurance coverage and affordability.

Medicaid: Medicaid is a government insurance program primarily for disabled individuals and low-income families. Expanding Medicaid in NC would benefit 500,000 individuals with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Based on the 2014 Federal Poverty Guidelines the income limit for a single person is $16,104.60. The limit for a family of four is $32,913.00.

Why didn’t NC expand Medicaid?

Originally the ACA required states to expand Medicaid, but the US Supreme Court ruled the enforcement unconstitutional; therefore, the decision to expand Medicaid was left up to the states. On March 6th, 2013, Governor Pat McCrory signed Senate Bill 4 into law. SB 4, which was created and approved by Republican legislators exclusively, clarified the General Assembly’s intent to limit NC’s participation in the ACA by declining to expand Medicaid eligibility.

Governor McCrory and other Republican legislators repeatedly defended their decisions by claiming that NC’s Medicaid system is “broken” and eligibility should not be expanded until it is reformed. These claims were made despite the fact that the federal government will pay 100% of the Medicaid expansion costs for the first 3 years and 90% of the costs thereafter.

While there is certainly room for improvement in NC’s Medicaid system, it is misleading to say that the system is “broken.” According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, NC had the lowest growth in Medicaid spending in the nation since 2007 (1). Furthermore, a recent report from the NC General Assembly’s fiscal staff pointed out that NC’s spending on Medicaid claims declined overall by 11.6% since 2008 (2). During the same time period national Medicaid spending per person increased by 6% (3). The system is not perfect, but is it really so “broken” that it is necessary to turn down federal funding that would benefit approximately 500,000 North Carolinians?

Economic Benefits of Expansion

According to an NC Institute of Medicine Medicaid Brief, NC would save $65.4 million over the first 8 years of the expansion (4). The savings are primarily related to reductions in uncompensated care currently provided by hospitals. (Basically, we are already paying for this care in NC via emergency room visits and acute hospital stays. The advantage of Medicaid expansion is that the money comes from the federal government, and people have access to preventative care versus being forced to wait until emergency health care is needed.)

The American Academy of Actuaries posits that premiums for private insurance will be at least 2% lower in states that expand Medicaid, due to cost shifting and healthier people buying subsidized insurance (5).

In addition to lower costs and increased access to healthcare, Medicaid expansion would bring more than $15 billion in federal funds into the state, boosting spending and employment (6). It is estimated that the expansion could result in 25,000 new jobs by 2016 (7).

However, according to the NC Justice Center, NC forfeits $4.9 million per day that could be used to provide insurance coverage for 500,000 North Carolinians. According to their counter at the time of this post, since January 1st, 2014 NC has lost out on more than $1.9 billion of federal funding.

In summary, Medicaid expansion will save the state and its taxpayers money, provide insurance coverage for the state’s most vulnerable citizens, and create thousands of new jobs.

The Human Factor

In 2010 approximately 1.6 million, or 1 in 5, non-elderly people were uninsured in NC (8). Almost half of the uninsured (42.7%) make less than 138% of the federal poverty level and therefore would benefit from Medicaid expansion (9). Experts estimate that about 500,000 individuals would be newly eligible for Medicaid under the expansion (10).

The risk of being uninsured is disproportionate by race. Latinos, American Indians, and African-Americans report much higher uninsured rates than whites, resulting in worse health outcomes for people of color (11). Medicaid expansion would help to reduce this gap and ensure access to health services for all people.

Uninsured individuals face greater barriers to accessing care. Uninsured people are less likely to have a regular source of medical care, less likely to see a physician when acutely ill, and more likely to delay necessary care due to concerns about cost (12). With health insurance through the Medicaid expansion, formerly uninsured individuals are more likely to seek and obtain necessary medical care. One study predicts that Medicaid expansion could save up to 2,840 lives a year (13).

Final Note

Every year that NC delays implementing Medicaid expansion, the state surrenders billions of dollar in federal funds and leaves 500,000 of the its most vulnerable citizens uninsured. It is up to North Carolinians to make their voices heard and pressure Governor McCrory and the General Assembly to reconsider Medicaid expansion.

Happy New Year’s Eve! It’s hard to believe that 2014 is coming to an end. It has been a crazy, challenging, amazing year. I started Brown is the New Pink (BNP) back in late April, and I love being able to look back on everything that’s happened this year. For my final post of 2014 I am reviewing all of the major events of the year. Cheers to 2015!

January

Celebrated the New Year in Kentucky

Took engagement pictures

Started my last semester of graduate school

Found our townhouse and signed the lease for me and Derek’s first home together

Hello friends! I’m back on the blogging wagon after a couple much-needed weeks off. Derek and I are in Lexington, Kentucky at my parents’ house for a couple more days before we head back to North Carolina and reality. It’s been a great vacation for all of us, and I wanted to share a series of pictures as a Christmas recap.

We had a blast and stayed up until 3am playing Catchphrase. It was great fun!

The adorable version of our group tacky sweater picture.

After the party, Derek headed to his family’s house in Wilkesboro for a few days to spend time with his family while I finished up work. I drove to Wilkes on the morning of Christmas Eve to pick up Derek on the way to Kentucky. Fortunately, we were able to eat breakfast and exchange presents with his family before heading out.

After an easy 8 hour drive, we made it to Lexington!

We got to Kentucky just in time for the candlelit Christmas Eve church service, my favorite of the year. After church we watched some of our Christmas movie favorites: Elf and Christmas Vacation.

We spent Christmas morning relaxing and getting ready for our big lunch. I, of course, partook in the family tradition of drinking a Bloody Mary.

Scooter wanted to be part of the action.

On Saturday my grandpa came over to watch the University of Kentucky vs. University of Louisville basketball game. My mom, dad, brother, and grandpa all went to UK and are huge Wildcat fans.

Derek couldn’t bear to wear UK blue and had to rock some Carolina gear.

One morning Derek whipped up some Norwegian pancakes, one of his family’s traditions. One of the things I love about being married is blending our family traditions. You get the best of both families!

Delicious Norwegian pancakes.

We also went bowling.

My mom always demands “shoe pics.” Haha!

My mom and I went shopping yesterday, and we’re planning on going to a movie later today. Derek and I will spend New Year’s Eve with my family before heading back to Durham on New Year’s Days. Then it’s back to work for me on Friday. Yay for a one-day work week!

I’m so thankful for the time spent with friends and family. I was definitely getting burnt out at work, and this break is exactly what I needed. Hope your holidays were great, too!

Happy Friday, friends! It’s been a hot minute since I made a Fun Friday post, and I think it’s time for some pictures, videos, and stories that made me smile or laugh lately. I hope they bring a smile to your face, too!

Let’s kick things off with the case of the cat and the “empty” food bowl.

It’s funny how peculiar animals are about certain things. My parents’ dog Scooter will not turn around on the hardwood floors (likely because he’s scared of slipping). It’s hilarious to watch him slowly back away when he wants to leave the kitchen. What a goober.

Next up is a video of an English bulldog riding a motorcycle who waves to a passing biker ON HER OWN. The dog waves first without prompting from her owner. I had to watch it twice to make sure.

You totally thought I was making that one up, didn’t you? 🙂

On to another video. I am a big fan of Key & Peele, and they recently released a new sketch about text messaging. (**Warning: harsh language is used in the video.)

That’s definitely one of those “I’m-laughing-because-it’s-true” videos. Making people laugh is a talent in itself, but it’s even more impressive that Key and Peele are able to mix humor and social commentary so well.

To wrap things up, I’ll share two love stories. The first is a post from Humans of New York. The couple in the photo share the story of the beginning of their 50+ year relationship. It’s a sweet and funny story.

The second is a video of the first marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple in North Carolina.

Last Friday, October 10th, a federal judge ruled that North Carolina’s gay marriage ban was unconstitutional. I watched the marriage in the video happen live on TV. It was a beautiful, and I felt blessed to witness such a significant moment in history.

Derek and I saw these flags on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill when were on our way to church. The town put them up to commemorate the momentous ruling.

It’s been a great weekend! I’m thankful that I was able to spend time with my family and be here for my grandpa’s 90th birthday. I head back to North Carolina tonight, and I know I’ll be a little sad when I leave. I wish we lived closer to each other. However, in many ways, I am lucky to have two places to call home. Even though I don’t like leaving my parents, brother, and grandparents, I get to go home to my new family with Derek. Though it means I leave a little bit of my heart in another state, I’m blessed to have so much love in my life.

“Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

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About Me

Welcome to Brown is the New Pink!
My name is Ali Brown Pinkerton. I live in Indianapolis, IN with my husband Derek. I'm a medical social worker with my Master's of Social Work from UNC - Chapel Hill. Besides my interest in social justice, I love cooking healthy (and sometimes not-so-healthy) foods, running, reading, and traveling.